By Kashmala Kakakhel, Technical Assistance and Knowledge Management Coordinator, Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), CDKN Asia. (Southasiadisasters.net issue No. 106, March 2014)

New findings from recent research on the impacts of climate change has confirmed that households in vulnerable countries are already incurring severe loss and damage associated not only with extreme weather events but also slow-onset climatic changes, which will likely grow in the future.[1]

Realising the gravity of the situation, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has been facilitating discussion on the issue this year. The expert meeting in Tokyo and the series of regional expert meetings in Addis Ababa, Mexico City and Bangkok are revealing intricate insights. Consensus seems to be emerging around increasing mitigation ambition to avoid future loss and damage as the very first step; greater success in reducing greenhouse gas emissions now means less loss and damage in the future. Second, avoiding loss and damage must be facilitating the ability of humankind to adapt and adjust to climate change impacts. The greater the extent of adaptation, the less residual loss and damage there will be.

However, residual loss and damage from climate change – that remains after mitigation and adaptation choices have been made – is certain to exceed anything yet experienced and requires urgent attention by the Convention. In order to deal with the residual impacts in a more efficient manner, some areas under the SBI work programme (WP) on loss and damage need to be strengthened through CoP 18 in December this year and beyond.

Assessing: A great deal of work needs to be done around this thematic area of the WP. There are major gaps is assessing current as well as potential future loss and damage, thereby impeding informed planning for climate compatible development. The Convention can play a role in supporting activities at the national level and facilitate a process of capacity building in assessing risk through establishing baselines, standard guidelines, developing monitoring mechanisms, institutional arrangements, and ensuring adequate funding for the process.

There is also a need for a better system of metrological services and information sharing mechanisms. For this, already established institutions can be mandated to expand their scope of work.

When assessing, non-economic informal losses should not be ignored in the process; efforts should be made to ensure a holistic picture encompassing all issues and stakeholders for informed policy making.

Approaches: It is becoming clear that many gaps exist for approaches to address loss and damage. While extreme weather events have been addressed through a mix of risk reduction, risk retention and risk transfer methodologies, much remains to be learned about approaches to manage slow onset climate processes. These approaches are least represented through our current knowledge set and will require creative thinking within as well as outside the convention.

Coordination: Considering the abundant resources utilised in developing various streams of thought process within the convention, it is pertinent to sync loss and damage with the existing processes as closely as possible. For example, the National Adaptation Plan process is of particular relevance to loss and damage, and can be used by countries to enhance their domestic efforts to assess climate risks and prepare accordingly. The Adaptation Committee, as well as the Standing Committee on Finance, and the Technology Executive Committee may contribute to a coordinated approach to loss and damage. The Convention should initiate a process of identifying existing processes within and outside the Convention, and clarify means of collaboration in order to mainstream the loss and damage agenda.

[1] Case Studies commissioned under the CDKN Loss and Damage in Vulnerability Countries Initiative.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this piece are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of AIDMI.